UNC-system President Ross to meet with workers to discuss Senate Bill 575

Workers angry about Senate Bill 575, a piece of legislation that would put their fate in the hands of the UNC-system Board of Governors, will be able to voice their concerns in two weeks.

System President Thomas Ross and Chairwoman of the Board Hannah Gage will meet with students and system employees May 2, said Joni Worthington, spokeswoman for the system. The forum will be held in the Spangler Center from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Ross will explain the proposal and the guiding principles the board passed last week to ease the transition and educate any misunderstandings about the legislation.

The pending bill could remove maintenance workers, housekeepers and other staff members from state authority and place them under the control of the Board of Governors. The legislation may be up for debate in the N.C. General Assembly’s short session in May.

Senate Bill 575 was designed to give the UNC system more authority, but workers are worried removing state authority will diminish their rights to a fair workplace.

The board set guiding principles meant to protect workers’ rights if the legislation passes.

Sen. Richard Stevens, R-Wake and the sponsor of the original bill, said in an email that he would add the principles to the legislation should it move forward in the General Assembly.

But there has been concern that the guiding principles are not enough to fully protect workers.

Zaina Alsous, a UNC junior involved in the group Student Action with Workers, said the public forum is a good first step, but she still has reservations about the forum’s accessibility for workers and time constraints.

“We hope this isn’t a one-time event,” she said. “At this point, there are unaddressed concerns, and if (Ross) is able to make workers feel comfortable, then I would consider this a success.”

An uncertain process

Dana Cope, executive director of the State Employees Association, said the board’s guiding principles are not effective.

“They might be well-intended, but they do not have any weight behind them,” he said. “We don’t want to put our faith into a trust situation with the bosses.”

Cope said Ross plans to speak to the association next month.

“I have met with Ross twice, and we know each other’s stand, so it’s been a mutual discussion. But other than that, there’s been no real movements,” Cope said.

Alsous said Student Action with Workers has been dissatisfied with the development of the principles, calling the process undemocratic.

But Chuck Brink, the chairman of the UNC-system staff assembly, said the assembly received a draft of the principles in January, and the board has since incorporated the staff’s revisions.

Although students and workers protested at last week’s board meeting, Brink said he advocates working alongside the board members to create change.

“If you’re against something, you can have your say, but you need to cooperate in the process — you can’t just throw away your leverage by standing on a table and shouting.”

Brink said he has received feedback on the legislation, but Alsous said the staff assembly has not been representative of workers.

“The idea that they speak for all workers is really problematic,” she said, adding that most workers she knows are wary of the changes.

‘Something’s gotta change’

Ross has said the change will help workers in a tough economy, and Brink said he agrees.

“What we have right now is not employee-friendly, and if anything, it’s getting worse,” he said, citing a lack of pay raises in four years and a pay cut scheduled for July.

“Are we going to wait on a non-benevolent legislature to do the right thing by its employees? The Board of Governors, whose only purpose is the care and well-being of their university system — I can’t imagine they would treat their employees any differently if they had authority over them.”

Brink said he’s skeptical about potential changes, but if the process is handled correctly, workers will benefit.

“If they don’t get this authority, we still need to affect some kind of change,” he said. “Oh my gosh, something’s gotta change.”

Contact the State & National Editor at state@dailytarheel.com.